Joshua 9
1 Na rĩrĩa athamaki othe arĩa maarĩ mwena wa ithũĩro wa Rũũĩ rwa Jorodani maiguire maũndũ macio, na arĩa maarĩ bũrũri ũrĩa ũrĩ irĩma, na arĩa maarĩ ituamba-ini ciikũrũko cia irĩma cia mwena wa ithũĩro, na kũu hũgũrũrũ-inĩ cia Iria rĩrĩa Inene guothe o nginya Lebanoni (nĩo athamaki a andũ a Ahiti, na Aamori, na Akaanani, na Aperizi, na Ahivi, na Ajebusi),
There were several kings [who ruled in lands that are] on the west side of the Jordan River. They were the kings of the Heth people-group, the Amor people-group, the Canaan people-group, the Periz people-group, the Hiv people-group, and the Jebus people-group. They lived in the hilly area, in the foothills further west, and [on the plains] along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They heard [about what happened at Ai].
2 magĩcookanĩrĩra hamwe nĩguo mahũũrane na Joshua na Isiraeli.
So they all gathered [their armies] to fight Joshua and the Israeli army.
3 No rĩrĩ, rĩrĩa andũ a Gibeoni maaiguire ũrĩa Joshua ekĩte itũũra rĩa Jeriko o na rĩa Ai,
When the people who lived in Gibeon [city] heard that Joshua’s army had defeated the people of Jericho and Ai,
4 magĩĩka ũndũ wa wara. Magĩthiĩ marĩ ta andũ matũmĩtwo marĩ na ndigiri ciao ikuuithĩtio makũnia matarũkangu, na mondo ngũrũ mũno cia ndibei irĩ nduĩkangu na igatumwo.
they decided to trick the Israelis. They gathered some old sacks and some old leather wine bags that had been mended after they were cracked, and they put these on the backs of their donkeys.
5 Nao arũme acio meekĩrĩte iraatũ ciarĩ ndarũku, ciarĩ na iraka, na makehumba nguo ngũrũ. Irio ciao ciothe iria meekuuĩire rĩĩgu ciarĩ nyũmũ na ikagĩa mbuu.
They put on old sandals that had been patched, and wore old ragged clothes. And they took along bread that was dry and moldy.
6 Nao magĩthiĩ kũrĩ Joshua kambĩ-inĩ o kũu Giligali, makĩmwĩra atĩrĩ we mwene hamwe na andũ a Isiraeli, “Tũũkĩte kuuma bũrũri wa kũraya mũno na gũkũ; tondũ ũcio gĩai kĩrĩkanĩro na ithuĩ.”
They traveled to where Joshua [and the other Israelis] had set up their tents near Gilgal. They said to Joshua and the other Israeli leaders, “We have traveled from a distant land. We want you to make a peace agreement with us.”
7 Nao andũ a Isiraeli makĩĩra Ahivi acio atĩrĩ, “Hihi no gũkorwo mũtũũraga o gũkũ gũkuhĩ na ithuĩ, tũngĩhota atĩa kũgĩa kĩrĩkanĩro na inyuĩ?”
The Israeli leaders said to those men from [Gilead who were from] the Hiv people-group, “[We do not know if you truly live far from us]. If you live near us, we cannot [RHQ] make a peace agreement with you, [because God has commanded us to get rid of the people that are living near us].”
8 Nao magĩcookeria Joshua atĩrĩ, “Ithuĩ tũrĩ ndungata ciaku.” Ningĩ Joshua akĩmooria atĩrĩ, “Inyuĩ mũrĩ a, na muumĩte kũ?”
They replied to Joshua, “[If you make a peace agreement with us], we will be your servants.” But Joshua answered, “What people-group are you? Where do you come from?”
9 Nao makĩmũcookeria atĩrĩ, “Ithuĩ ndungata ciaku tuumĩte bũrũri wa kũraya mũno na gũkũ, tũũkĩte nĩ ũndũ wa ngumo ya Jehova Ngai wanyu. Nĩgũkorwo nĩtũiguĩte ũhoro wake: o na maũndũ mothe marĩa eekire bũrũri wa Misiri,
The men from Gibeon answered, “[We want to be] your [. We] have come here from a distant land, because we have heard about the great things that your god has done. We have heard about everything that he did in Egypt [to help you].
10 na ũrĩa wothe eekire athamaki arĩa eerĩ a Aamori kũu irathĩro rĩa Rũũĩ rwa Jorodani, nao nĩ Sihoni mũthamaki wa Heshiboni, na Ogu mũthamaki wa Bashani, ũrĩa wathamakaga Ashitarothu.
We have heard that he [enabled you to] defeat [the armies of] two kings of the Amor people-group, on the east side of the Jordan River—Sihon, the king who ruled in Heshbon [city], and Og, the king who ruled in Ashtaroth in the Bashan [area].
11 Nao athuuri atongoria aitũ na andũ arĩa othe matũũraga bũrũri witũ nĩmatwĩrire atĩrĩ, ‘Kuuai irio nĩ ũndũ wa rũgendo rwanyu, mũthiĩ mũcemanie na andũ acio, na mũmeere atĩrĩ, “Ithuĩ tũrĩ ndungata cianyu; gĩai kĩrĩkanĩro na ithuĩ.”’
So our leaders and the rest of our people said to us, ‘Take some food and go to talk with the Israelis. Tell them, “We want to be your servants. So make a peace agreement with us.”’
12 Irio ici ciitũ cia rĩĩgu ciarĩ hiũ mũthenya ũrĩa tuoimire gwitũ tũke kũrĩ inyuĩ. No rĩu ta kĩonei ũrĩa ciũmĩte na ikagĩa mbuu.
Look at our bread. It was fresh and warm [from having been baked] on the day that we left our area, but now it is dry and moldy.
13 Nacio mondo ici ciarĩ njerũ tũgĩciyũria ndibei, no rĩu ta kĩonei ũrĩa ituĩkangĩte. Nacio nguo ciitũ na iraatũ nĩikũrĩte nĩ ũndũ wa rũgendo kũraiha mũno.”
Look at our leather wine bags. They were new when we filled them with wine [before we left], but now they are cracked and old. Our clothes and our sandals are worn out from traveling [on the long road] to come here.”
14 Nao andũ a Isiraeli makĩrora irio imwe cia andũ acio, no matiigana kũhooya kĩrĩra kuuma harĩ Jehova.
The Israeli leaders tasted the bread, but they did not ask Yahweh what to do.
15 Nake Joshua akĩgĩa kĩrĩkanĩro gĩa thayũ nao atĩ areke matũũre muoyo, nao atongoria a kĩũngano kĩu kĩa andũ a Isiraeli magĩĩkĩra ũhoro ũcio hinya na mwĩhĩtwa.
So Joshua agreed to make a peace agreement with the men from Gibeon to not kill them. All the Israeli leaders vowed to do what Joshua said in the agreement. [Then the men from Gibeon returned home].
16 Mĩthenya ĩtatũ thuutha wa kũgĩa na kĩrĩkanĩro kĩu na andũ acio a Gibeoni, andũ a Isiraeli makĩigua atĩ andũ acio maahakanĩte nao, na maatũũraga o hakuhĩ nao.
Three days later the Israelis found out that the men from Gibeon lived nearby.
17 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio andũ a Isiraeli makiumagara, na mũthenya wa gatatũ magĩkinya matũũra-inĩ mao manene, na nĩmo: Gibeoni, na Kefira, na Beerothu, na Kiriathu-Jearimu.
So they went to where the men from Gibeon lived. After traveling [only] three days, they came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-Jearim.
18 No andũ a Isiraeli matiigana kũmahũũra, nĩ ũndũ atongoria a kĩũngano kĩao nĩmehĩtĩte na mwĩhĩtwa makĩgwetaga rĩĩtwa rĩa Jehova Ngai wa Isiraeli. Nakĩo kĩũngano kĩu gĩothe gĩkĩnuguna nĩ ũndũ wa atongoria acio,
But the Israelis did not attack the people of those cities, because they had promised [to live peacefully with them], and Yahweh had heard them promise [to do that]. All the Israeli people grumbled against their leaders [for doing that].
19 no atongoria acio othe makĩmacookeria atĩrĩ, “Nĩtwĩhĩtĩte na mwĩhĩtwa tũkĩgwetaga rĩĩtwa rĩa Jehova Ngai wa Isiraeli, na tondũ ũcio tũtingĩmahutia.
But the leaders answered, “We promised to [live peacefully with them], and Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], heard us promise [to do that]. So now we cannot attack [EUP] them.
20 Ũrĩa tũngĩmeeka nĩ atĩrĩ: Nĩ tũkũreka matũũre muoyo, nĩgeetha tũtikanacookererwo nĩ marakara nĩ ũndũ wa kuuna mwĩhĩtwa ũrĩa twehĩtire nĩ ũndũ wao.”
This is what we will do: We will not kill them. If we kill them, God will be very angry with us [and punish us] because of not doing what we promised to do.
21 O na ningĩ makĩmeera atĩrĩ, “Rekei matũũre muoyo, no matuĩke a kuunaga ngũ na a gũtahagĩra kĩrĩndĩ gĩkĩ gĩothe gĩa Isiraeli maaĩ.” Nĩ ũndũ ũcio atongoria makĩiga kĩrĩko kĩao kũrĩ andũ acio a Gibeoni.
So we must allow them to live. But they will cut wood for us, and they will carry water for us.” So the Israeli leaders did what they had promised.
22 Ningĩ Joshua agĩĩta andũ acio a Gibeoni akĩmooria atĩrĩ, “Nĩ kĩĩ gĩatũmire mũtũheenie rĩrĩa mwoigire atĩrĩ, ‘Tũtũũraga kũndũ kũraya mũno na inyuĩ,’ o rĩrĩa mũtũũraga o gũkũ gũkuhĩ na ithuĩ?
Then Joshua summoned the men from Gibeon and asked them, “Why did you lie to us? Your land was near to where we had set up our tents, but you told us that you were from a distant land!
23 Tondũ ũcio nĩmwagwatwo nĩ kĩrumi, na inyuĩ mũtigatiga gũtuĩka ndungata cia kuuna ngũ na gũtahagĩra nyũmba ya Ngai wakwa maaĩ.”
So now you will become our slaves. You will always be forced to cut wood and carry water for [us Israeli people who worship in] the temple of our God.”
24 Nao magĩcookeria Joshua makĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Ithuĩ ndungata ciaku nĩtwerirwo o wega ũrĩa Jehova Ngai waku aathire ndungata yake Musa akamũhe bũrũri ũyũ wothe, na atĩ aniine andũ othe arĩa matũũraga kuo mehere mbere yanyu. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio tũgĩĩtigĩra mũno, tweciria ũrĩa mũngĩtũũraga, na nĩkĩo twekire ũndũ ũcio.
The men from Gibeon replied, “We lied to you because we were afraid that you would kill us. We heard that Yahweh, your God, declared to his servant Moses that he would enable you to conquer all the people in this land and to kill all the people who lived in it.
25 Na rĩrĩ, rĩu tũrĩ moko-inĩ maku. Twĩke ũndũ ũrĩa wothe ũkuona ũrĩ mwega na wa kĩhooto.”
So now you can decide what you will do with us. Do what you think is right.”
26 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio Joshua akĩmahonokia kuuma kũrĩ andũ a Isiraeli, na matiamoragire.
So Joshua saved the lives of the people of Gibeon by not allowing the Israelis to kill them.
27 Mũthenya o ro ũcio Joshua agĩtua andũ acio a Gibeoni oini a ngũ na atahĩri mũingĩ wa Isiraeli maaĩ, o na atahĩri kĩgongona kĩa Jehova maaĩ o harĩa hothe Jehova angĩathuurire. Ũguo nĩguo matũire nginya ũmũthĩ.
Instead, he forced them to become the Israelis’ slaves. They cut wood and carried water for the Israelis. They also brought the wood and water [that was needed for] the sacred altar of Yahweh, to whatever place Yahweh decided that they should build one. And the people of Gibeon are still doing that.
